Product Description

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that A.O. Smith Corporation, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, manufactured commercial and residential water heaters and glass-fused-to-steel Harvestore agricultural silos, along with related steel-tank and pressure-vessel products, during the asbestos era. Allegedly, commercial gas- and oil-fired water heaters were assembled with asbestos-containing gaskets on flue collectors, burner mounts, and cleanout doors, and with an asbestos-containing insulation blanket wrapped between the inner steel tank and the outer painted jacket to reduce standby heat loss.

Plaintiffs further alleged that plumbers, pipefitters, boilermakers, HVAC service mechanics, and maintenance workers who serviced, dismantled, or scrapped A.O. Smith commercial water heaters cut, tore, or otherwise disturbed the asbestos-containing blanket wrap and gasket materials, releasing chrysotile fiber into the breathing zone. Plaintiffs further alleged premises exposure inside A.O. Smith plants during the asbestos era in glass-fusing furnaces, welding lines, curing ovens, and insulation stations used to fabricate Harvestore silos and steel tanks.

Workers Exposed

  • Plumbers and pipefitters installing, servicing, and dismantling A.O. Smith commercial water heaters
  • HVAC service technicians opening burner assemblies and cleanout doors
  • Boilermakers and maintenance mechanics disturbing insulation blanket and gasket material
  • Scrap and demolition workers cutting apart end-of-life commercial water heaters
  • A.O. Smith plant workers running glass-fusing furnaces, curing ovens, and welding lines during silo/tank fabrication
  • Maintenance/millwright crews inside A.O. Smith plants working on insulated ovens and steam piping

If You Worked With A.O. Smith Water Heaters or in an A.O. Smith Plant

Plaintiffs alleged that trades who repeatedly opened, insulated, gasketed, or scrapped A.O. Smith commercial water heaters, and workers employed inside A.O. Smith fabrication plants during the asbestos era, experienced repeated chrysotile fiber exposure. Workers and household family members have alleged mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

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